I don't have a problem WITH chocolate. I have a problem WITHOUT chocolate.

Friday, March 9, 2012

Scharffen Berger Milk Almond

You’ve probably noticed that when my recipes call for bittersweet chocolate or cocoa powder, I suggest using Scharffen Berger. While there are better chocolate bars out there, most of them are too expensive for baking and difficult to find. And as far as cocoa powder goes, Scharffen Berger really is some of the best, save perhaps Valrhona, which is not as widely available in the U.S.

But then on a trip to San Francisco, I happened upon their shop and saw a bar of their milk chocolate with sea salted almonds.

Mmm…salt…worth a try.

The base of the bar is their 41% cacao milk chocolate; roasted almonds with a hint of sea salt are mixed in. As a bonus, those almonds are very nicely chopped and well distributed.

The bar has a smooth melt and a creamy flavor, with some caramel and hints of nuts in the flavor towards the end of the melt. The salt and a hint of banana hit right as the chocolate dissipates, and the nuts are well roasted and crunchy.

Perhaps the salt cuts some off the bizarre flavors that I found off-putting in the plain milk chocolate.